


Light Amongst the Shadows

by bowsie22



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-10-05 17:16:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17329178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bowsie22/pseuds/bowsie22
Summary: Ronan had always been impulsive. But to take Adam to the Underworld? That was a step too far for the Gods of Olympus





	1. Chapter 1

He was walking through a field of flowers, enjoying the sun on his skin. Ronan spent so long underground that he had almost forgotten the warmth of the sun. Not to say he was wandering in a random field. No, the God of the Underworld had chosen this field for a specific reason.

“Ronan.”

“Adam. You look beautiful today.”

Adam, the God of Spring and Flowers. One of the kindest, gentlest, most beautiful gods Ronan had ever met. And he was close friends with Gansey, God of the Sun.

“I have a gift for you my lord. Close your eyes.”

He did as the smaller god asked, smiling when Adam’s lips brushed his. He felt Adam remove his crown, replacing the metal and gems with something much lighter.

“Go look in the pool.”

Ronan smiled when he saw the flower crown his love had placed on him.

“Beloved, it is almost as gorgeous as you. Tell me, have you thought any more about my proposal?”

“It is always in my mind. But I am worried about my father. HE is extremely protective of me. I fear he will not react well to our relationship.”

Ronan pulled Adam into his arms, wrapping his arms tight around the other’s waist.

“So, let’s not tell him. Just come with me to the Underworld. Right now.”

Adam pulled back, looking in Ronan’s eyes, trying to see he was serious. He must have seen something good, because a large smile spread across his face.

“Ok, let’s do it. Take me to the Underworld.”

A/N This is gonna be a multi chap fic. And by that, I mean hopefully less than 5. Any more than that and for some reason, I lose all inspiration. Characters are listed below

Ronan – Hades  
Adam – Persephone  
Gansey – Apollo  
Blue – Athena  
Noah – Hermes  
Kavinsky – Aeres  
Declan – Zeus


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gansey drops in on the happy couple.

“Your brother might actually kill you for this.”

Ronan snorted from his throne, a look of delight on his face.

“Unexpected side effect. I pissed off Declan, always appreciated.”

Gansey sighed, dropping to the floor in front of the throne.

“Not appreciated by anyone else. And don’t even get me started on Adam’s father.”

“What’s he done?”

Gansey shrieked as Adam appeared in the throne room. The soft light that always shone around him was even brighter down here. Gansey could admit that the God of Spring was beautiful, especially with the dark jewels and crown that Ronan had gifted his Consort. Adam glided past Gansey, sitting on the throne that stood to Ronan’s right. His hand reached out to hold onto Ronan’s, presenting a united front to Gansey.

“Gansey, what has my father done?”

“It’s what he’s refusing to do. He won’t grow the crops. People are going to die.”

“He can’t do that. We’re gods, we do our tasks. If he refuses to work, he will become sick and weak until he completes her work.”

“He doesn’t care Ronan. He wants Adam back and he’ll do anything.”

“My father was always quite duplicitous. He probably thinks that if he gets ill, I’ll feel guilty and return back to the Overworld.”

“And you won’t?”

“Gansey, you know how long Ronan I have been fighting Declan to get married. But he always refused us. We’re sick of it. I want to be with the man I love and if that means going against the other gods, I will do it!”

“As will I. The question now is, who’s side are you on Gansey? Ours or theirs?”

“Yours, of course. And you’ll have Noah and Blue as well. We’re with you Ronan, always.”

A/N I know I said before that Blue was going to be Artemis, but then I remembered that Artemis and Apollo are brother and sister, so that’s not happening. So, Blue is now Athena!

Next chapter, we finally meet Duncan and Kavinsky.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Declan pays a visit

Kavinsky closed the door behind Robert, releasing the breath he’d been holding. He was the God of War, but he’d admit that Robert, God of the Harvest, scared him. The man was intense and quick to anger. He also wasn’t afraid to hurt the other gods, or the humans. And now that Adam was missing? The man was on a rampage. And he was taking it out on the humans, destroying their crops and causing famines worldwide.

“He won’t stop until Adam is back, will he?”

Declan looked tired. Kavinsky damned Ronan for the sixth time that day, annoyed at how much he was hurting his older brother.

“Joseph?”

“Sorry Declan. No, I don’t think so.”

“But we all knew that he was hurting Adam. So, if I force Adam to go back, I’m sending him back to an abuser.”

“It’s you who has to have the final say Declan. We need a God of the Harvest.”

“I know. I’m going to go and see Ronan. Maybe we can arrange something.”

“I’ll come with you. Let me grab my sword.”

“No! You going to the Underworld and demanding Ronan release Adam will end up in bloodshed. I’m trying to avoid that. I need you to see Gansey.”

“Ugh, why him?”

“Kavinsky, you need to get over this irrational hatred of Gansey. Ronan was never yours to lose. And we need him, because he sees everything in his travels. He must have seen Ronan take Adam.”

“And you think Ronan will just hand Adam over?”

“No, but I need to know what’s going through his head.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ronan always knew when his brother was coming to visit. Chainsaw flew into his throne room, squawking her warnings as Cerebus tried to delay the older god. Today, he bundled Adam into their bedroom, hiding him away. When his brother entered the throne room, Ronan was sprawled across his throne, the picture of impudence.

“Declan, so nice to see you.”

“Drop the sarcasm. And the act. You know why I’m here.”

Ronan straightened, glaring at his brother.

“I do. You’re not getting him Declan, he’s mine.”

Declan laughed. His little brother’s stubbornness had always amused him.

“I’m the leader of our pantheon. I can force you to give him back.”

Ronan rose from his throne, a snarl on his face.

“And I’m the only being who can kill all our pantheon. Just try it.”

“You wouldn’t go that far.”

“I love him. I’d kill you here and now if it would make him happy.”

Ronan was serious. Duncan’s face remained impassive, but in his head, he was freaking out. Shit, Ronan loved Adam. This complicated things. More planning was necessary. And more information gathering. This was going to be harder than Declan had thought.

“Fine, I’ll leave you for now. But Robert is getting impatient. I can’t keep him from here much longer.”

“Let him come.”

A/N So, obviously, Matthew is God of the Seas. Next chapter, Robert pays his son a visit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert pays his son a visit

He strode through the Underworld, uncaring that the plants trailing him were dying within seconds of appearing. This was where his son had run off to? Robert supposed he should be proud. His son had managed to snag one of the three most powerful gods in the pantheon. But he then ran off, leaving all the work to Robert, who wasn’t powerful enough to do it by himself. The humans were getting annoyed as their crops started failing, meaning that Robert received less sacrifices. If he wanted the humans to worship him again, he needed his son back.

“So, this is where you’re hiding from me.”

Adam was sitting in a large garden at the back of the palace. He sat on the edge of a fountain, surrounded by flowers that looked less colourful that normal. Robert assumed that’s what happened when you tried to create life in the Underworld. He did wonder how they were still alive, but there were other more important things to worry about. Adam stood, moving to place more distance between himself and his father.

“Clearly I need to do a better job. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take you back, you stupid boy! Do you realise that humans are dying up there?”

“That’s your doing! You’re refusing to grow the crops and you’re killing the humans. I’m staying here father, where I’m happy! And nothing you can say or do will make me go back.”

The older god growled, stepping forward to grab his son’s wrist, ready to drag him from the Underworld if needs be.

“I’d hope at this stage of your immortal life Robert, that you’d know better than to grab your son like that.”

“Ronan. Skulking in the shadows, like always.”

The God of the Underworld detached himself from the shadows surrounding him.

“You’re the one who snuck into my home whilst I was up visiting my brothers. Thankfully Chainsaw is a very fast, very intelligent bird.”

Ronan turned his back on Robert, dismissing him as a threat, to wrap Adam in his arms. After checking to make sure the younger god was just shaken up and not injured, he turned to face Robert.

“He’s not going back with you. This has been a waste of a trip Robert. No get out! Or do I have to force you out?”

“Fine, I’ll leave for now. But you should remember one very important fact. There is nothing binding Adam to here. He is still a god tied to the overworld and the longer you keep him away, the weaker he gets. You keep him down here for much longer, the Underworld will kill him.”

Next chapter, Kavinsky learns the truth from Gansey and Adam has a decision to make.


	5. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Kavinsky learns the truth from Gansey and Adam has a decision to make.

Gansey did not like Kavinsky. In fact, Gansey, one of the kindest gods, hated Kavinsky. The other man took advantage of Ronan when the first became the God of the Dead, asking for some of the best warriors to be sent back to him, manipulating the lonely god into whatever Kavinsky wanted. It took Gansey, Matthew, Noah and Blue a long time to break his hold. And even then, it wasn’t until Ronan met Adam that Kavinsky lost all power over the other god. So having to meet with him to explain that Ronan hadn’t abducted Adam made him feel slightly sick.

“Gansey. I have things to do. World changing things, so hurry this up.”

Gansey didn’t like violence, Gansey didn’t like violence. It solved nothing. He chanted this in his head as he took a seat opposite Kavinsky, glad they had chosen to meet in a mortal tavern. At least he and Kavinsky couldn’t attack each other with their godly powers before.

“You, Declan and Robert all seem to be under the idea that Ronan took Adam against his will.”

“Of course he did! Why would the God of Spring want to be in the Underworld?”

“Because of something you will never understand! Adam loves Ronan. And Ronan loves him back. He’s not a prisoner down there, he rules alongside Ronan. And if you or Declan try to force him to leave, there will be war. Not even the God of War can defeat the God of the Underworld.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adam sat in the palace kitchens, staring at the array of food in front of him. Rona stood behind him, arms wrapped around his waist, chin resting on the slightly smaller man’s shoulder.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do. I can be dragged from here by Declan because other than our marriage, there is nothing linking me to this place.”

“But, if you do this, you won’t be able to go back up there. You’re God of Spring. They need you up there.”

“I have a plan for that.”

Ronan chuckled, pressing a kiss to Adam’s cheek.

“Of course you do.”

“One pomegranate seed for every month I want to spend down here.”

Ronan watched as Adam plucked six seeds from the fruit on the chopping board.

“Six seeds, six months.”

“Do it.”

Adam ate, each seed followed by a kiss from Ronan. After he ate the sixth, Ronan sent a messenger to his brother. Time to tell the other gods their big news.

Next chapter, Adam and Ronan tell the other what they did.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam and Ronan tell the others what they did.

Gansey sighed as he sat on his throne beside Blue. He knew that this wouldn’t end well. Ronan rarely called meetings with the other members of the Pantheon, certainly not with all of them. Declan sat on his throne, glaring at the door that his little brother had yet to walk through. Typical Ronan, showing up late to a meeting that he called himself. Finally, thirty minutes late, Adam and Ronan walked into the throne room. But there was something different about the young God of Spring. He seemed darker, more comfortable in himself. Gansey swore. They had done something stupid, hadn’t they?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ronan loved this. He knew that Declan thought he was here to admit that he was wrong and that Adam would return home to Robert. Ronan couldn’t wait to see his brother’s face when he realised how wrong he was.

“Ronan, you call us here and the you’re late? Is there no limit to your disrespect?”

Ronan laughed, waving his brother off as he led Adam to their thrones.

“Relax Declan. It’ll be worth it, trust me.”

Robert leant forward, eager to take his son home. He’d been working harder since Adam was taken then he ever had before. He was ready to punish his son and then take a long, well deserved rest.

“Adam, this foolishness has to end! Stop being so stupid and come home. You’re the God of Spring, you can’t live in the Underworld forever.”

“You’re right I can’t. I can live there for six months though.”

Ronan smirked at the cries of outrage from the other gods. Eventually Gansey got tired of people belittling his best friend.

“ENOUGH! Let them speak. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation.”

“Thank you Gansey. And there is a perfectly good explanation. Adam ate some pomegranate seeds. Six in total. One for every month that he will spend with me.”

“And tell me little brother, why would the man you abducted willingly eat food from the Underworld?”

“Because I wasn’t abducted! It was my choice to go the Underworld.”

It was too much for Robert. He rose from his throne, anger evident in the tense lines of his body.

“How dare you? I have given you everything you have ever wanted, if not for me you’d have no worshipers. And this is the thanks I get. You trying to run away from your responsibilities! I will not accept this Declan. He needs to be with me. And it needs to happen now!”

Ronan stood, shadows surrounding him and reaching out to Robert. Looking at the god, it was clear to see why he was often called the most intimidating of them.

“Stop lying Robert! Everyone here knows what an abusive asshole you’ve been to Adam. The only reason you’re still here is because we need a God of the Harvest. If I had my way, you’d be in Tartarus with all the other scum!”

“Robert, sit down! Ronan, shut up and explain what Adam meant when he said he wasn’t abducted.”

Both sat down, neither wanting to annoy Declan any more. Adam grabbed his husband’s hand, offering comfort, trying to calm the other god down.

“Adam and I have been together for years. I wanted to ask Robert permission to court and marry Adam, but we knew he’d say no-“

“Damn straight.”

“Robert, shut up! Ronan, continue.”

“We met in secret and then one day, Adam told me he wanted to come down to the Underworld.”

“Which is what started this entire thing. Tell us about the food.”

“I made the decision last night. I wanted to stay in the Underworld with Ronan, but I knew you could force me to leave. But, if I ate food from the Underworld, I could stay there. So, I ate six pomegranate seeds.”

“And I assume you and my brother have a plan?”

“I’ll spend six months in the Underworld. During those six months little will grow. This will give my father and I time to rest and recover. I’ll then spend six months in the Overworld, helping my father to grow crops and bring the land to life again. Ronan will visit me during those times. And, if at any stage, I start failing in my duties, I place myself at the mercy of my brethren. Is this acceptable Duncan?”

Duncan frowned, knowing he didn’t have much choice here. The couple had considered everything. There was only one answer he could give.

“This is acceptable. You will spend six months as Consort to the Lord of the Underworld and then the remaining six months as the God of Spring.”

Ronan leapt to his feet, glad that the meeting was over. At least it was as far as he was concerned.

“Great. The Adam will see you in six months Robert. Gansey, Noah, Blue, come to the Underworld in a few hours. We’re having a party!”

He grabbed his laughing Consort, dragging him through a shadow portal to the Underworld. Duncan sighed. Ronan would never change, would he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The couple landed in the throne room, Adam still laughing. Ronan pulled him into a tight hug, pressing kisses to Adam’s lips.

“I can’t believe that worked. I’ve married a genius!”

“Oh stop, you would have figured something out.”

They calmed down, standing in the throne room, arms wrapped around each other.

“We are gonna be the best rulers of any realm, ever.”

“Course we are Ronan. My brain and your heart, how can we fail?”

They giggled, running to the bedroom, deciding to take advantage of their free time before the celebration.

And Adam was right. People were no longer afraid of the Underworld, knowing that the royal couple would do all they could to make the afterlife as enjoyable as possible. When Ronan was left alone for those six months, he became colder, harsher, but even then, it was a vast improvement to his pre-Adam days. And when Adam returned? The couple wasn’t seen for the first week, but things quickly went back to normal after that. Abducting Adam was the best decision Ronan ever made.


End file.
